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Synonym Chooser

How is the word anxiety distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of anxiety are care, concern, solicitude, and worry. While all these words mean "a troubled or engrossed state of mind or the thing that causes this," anxiety stresses anguished uncertainty or fear of misfortune or failure.

plagued by anxiety and self-doubt

Where would care be a reasonable alternative to anxiety?

The meanings of care and anxiety largely overlap; however, care implies oppression of the mind weighed down by responsibility or disquieted by apprehension.

a face worn by years of care

When would concern be a good substitute for anxiety?

The words concern and anxiety can be used in similar contexts, but concern implies a troubled state of mind because of personal interest, relation, or affection.

crimes caused concern in the neighborhood

When is it sensible to use solicitude instead of anxiety?

The synonyms solicitude and anxiety are sometimes interchangeable, but solicitude implies great concern and connotes either thoughtful or hovering attentiveness toward another.

acted with typical maternal solicitude

When might worry be a better fit than anxiety?

The words worry and anxiety are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, worry suggests fretting over matters that may or may not be real cause for anxiety.

financial worries

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of anxiety All that said, the anxiety of trying to eliminate sucralose entirely from your diet may not be worth the effort. Carmen Rios, Flow Space, 23 Apr. 2025 This anxiety is undoubtedly triggered by the events of January 6, 2021. Robert Alexander and Anna Dawley, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025 Mental health support: Mental health counseling can address conditions like anxiety that are common in people with high-functioning autism. Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 23 Apr. 2025 Consumer sentiment fell sharply in April, marking the fourth consecutive month of declines, as an intensifying trade war fueled anxiety over American jobs and rising inflation. CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for anxiety
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anxiety
Noun
  • Harassment, fear alter campus life As prestigious universities like Harvard became a focal point of outside scrutiny last year, external harassment had devastating effects on students, the report says.
    Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Many in the scientific community have begun to talk about how to move forward, but fears remain that the Trump administration will proceed with its own report, assigning authors that represent alternative viewpoints on climate change.
    Tracy J. Wholf, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Not Enough People Are Watching ‘NYT Mini’ Clues And Answers For Saturday, April 26 New Google Leak Reveals Subscription Changes For Gemini AI There is no shortage of worries for European auto manufacturers.
    Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
  • These worries lead people to make a series of decisions to delay having children, with hopes of having them in the future.
    Lisa Hagen, NPR, 25 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Residents rushed out of homes and buildings in panic, the Associated Press reported.
    Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
  • The auto industry, which uses about 20% of the world’s carbon fiber, went into a panic at the proposal (and the short lead times the 2029 ban would have given them).
    Michael Taylor, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Tomatoes distributed to three U.S. states have been recalled due to concerns about possible salmonella contamination.
    Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 4 May 2025
  • For many workers, there is a big concern over whether or not their jobs will be impacted.
    Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
Noun
  • When the slasher eventually appears, stealing the group’s car before murdering them with a humorous bluntness, there is also a real atmosphere of dread.
    Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025
  • But his ailment looked to be grave enough to warrant dread.
    Marcus Thompson II, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The angst about the Fed’s independence on Monday came against a backdrop of investors’ unease about the global economy.
    Danielle Kaye, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Its grand facade, looming over the misty abyss of Tequendama Falls, is the kind of place that invites amazement and a little unease.
    Josh Rivera, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Anxiety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anxiety. Accessed 7 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on anxiety

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